Andrej Sekera | Defenseman | #2

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Andrej Sekera left Sunday's game early after blocking a shot and injuring his foot.

The injury bug has affected Sekera this season as this will be the third time he has missed action due to injury. The defenseman started the season on the injured list and did not return until just before Christmas after undergoing ACL surgery in the off-season. He then missed seven games with a facial injury in February and now this. Sekera has only four assists in 30 games this season after an eight goal and 35 point season last year. Mar 19 - 8:04 AM

The injury has kept him out of the lineup for the last seven games. He has no goals, one assist and a minus-10 rating in 18 games this season. Sekera is an important part of Edmonton's defense, but he doesn't need to be owned in standard fantasy leagues. Feb 24 - 3:48 PM

Sekera might be ready to return as early as Thursday versus the Colorado Avalanche. If he isn't available to play by then he might come back during Edmonton's upcoming three-game road trip. Feb 20 - 5:51 PM

Andrej Sekera, who was struck in the face by the puck on Feb. 9, doesn't have any broken bones, but he might have a concussion.

As previously reported, Sekera is on the injured reserve list now. He has been sidelined for two contests. This has been a rough campaign for Sekera, who has been able to play in just 18 games this season. If he does have a concussion then there will likely be no telling as to when he might return. Feb 15 - 4:42 AM

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The injury has kept him out of the lineup for the last seven games. He has no goals, one assist and a minus-10 rating in 18 games this season. Sekera is an important part of Edmonton's defense, but he doesn't need to be owned in standard fantasy leagues.

Andrej Sekera, who was struck in the face by the puck on Feb. 9, doesn't have any broken bones, but he might have a concussion.

As previously reported, Sekera is on the injured reserve list now. He has been sidelined for two contests. This has been a rough campaign for Sekera, who has been able to play in just 18 games this season. If he does have a concussion then there will likely be no telling as to when he might return.

Sekera left Friday's game after he was hit in the face in the first period and did not return. Sekera also missed Saturday's contest and looks to be day-to-day for now. Sekera has only one assist in 18 games this season as he returned after missing the first half of the season due to off-season ACL surgery. It was thought he would be more involved offensively as he had eight goals and 38 points last season but that has not happened yet.

Andrej Sekera (knee) has been activated from injured reserve and he will make his season debut on Thursday night.

Sekera suffered a torn ACL during the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs and he underwent surgery in May. In 80 games last year, he potted eight goals and earned 35 points. He could be worth an addition with Oscar Klefbom out of the lineup, but there could be some rust.

There's a good chance that Andrej Sekera (knee) will be available on Thursday.

Sekera still needs to be medically cleared, but his showing in Wednesday's practice was encouraging. "I feel as good as I need to feel to be playing at this level," Sekera said. "I’m ready. I’ll go out, play hard and try to help this team win a game." He hasn't been able to play yet in 2017-18, which has been a big issue for the Oilers as they counted on him to log an average of 21:29 minutes per game last season.

Andrej Sekera (knee) has been practicing with the team of late and could return to the lineup shortly.

Sekera has not played this season after undergoing off-season surgery on his knee for a torn ACL. He had eight goals and 38 points with a plus-14 rating last season and his presence on the blueline has been sorely missed. "I’m feeling much better," Sekera said. "I’ve been testing the knee in battles, starting to go full out in battles. Testing the knee and seeing how it reacts. I’m doing more and more on the ice and the same things in the gym before and after. I’m going to make sure I stay on top of it. The prognosis was end of December, start of January, but it depends on how it reacts to everything I do on the ice. Is it going to be pain free or there’s going to be any trouble? We’ll go from there."

Despite that, Sekera is nowhere near close to returning. "When the calendar changes and we get to December, then we’ll be talking about when Sekera might play," said Oilers coach Todd McLellan. Sekera is recovering from knee surgery for a torn ACL.

Depth Charts

Connor McDavid scored a goal and picked up two assists in a 4-2 win over the Florida Panthers.

Picked up his own rebound, turned and fired off a quick shot passed an unsuspecting Roberto Luongo. McDavid finished off his afternoon with assists on Adam Larsson's game-winning goal and Ty Rattie's empty netter. Edmonton's captain now has 18 points in his last 10 games, and is really making a case for the Hart Trophy despite the Oilers being well out of a playoff spot. The 21-year-old center has 34 goals and 89 points in 71 games this season.

It's the first time that Nugent-Hopkins has gotten there since 2014-15. That's particularly impressive given that he's been limited to 53 games this season. This has been a solid season for him, but his $6 million annual salary might lead to the Oilers trying to trade him over the summer.

Strome has only been held off the scoresheet twice in his last nine games. That brings him up to 12 goals and 31 points in 66 contests this season. This is the most points he's recorded since 2014-2015, but we're hoping he does substantially better in the years to come.

Anton Slepyshev was put on the top line part way through Saturday's game.

Slepyshev has been a huge disappointment this season, especially after his performance in the playoffs, but Saturday he replaced Leon Draisaitl on the top unit with Connor McDavid and Patrick Maroon as coach Todd McLellan was looking for a spark. He has only three goals and six points this season but if he remains with McDavid, his fantasy value will jump up immensely.

Leon Draisaitl picked up a pair of assists with a plus-1 rating and two hits in Monday's 4-3 overtime victory against the Coyotes.

Draisaitl has posted four goals with eight points over the past seven outings. He continues to roll up huge point totals and rarely takes a game off. In fact, he hasn't had back-to-back scoreless outings since a three-game scoreless skid from Dec. 31 to Jan. 4. He continues to post top-20 fantasy value across all pools, and he is on pace for a second consecutive 70-point campaign.

The Oilers forward was a healthy scratch Saturday and is having a tough go of it this season as he has eight goals and 14 points in 50 games. He has been wearing a full cage the last month after losing four teeth when he smashed his face during a game but hopes the dentist will allow him to take it off this week. He has been all over the lineup, seeing first line time and fourth line action at different times this season. "I’m not sure where I fit," admitted Caggiula. "I’m still trying to figure that out. I’ve played left-wing, right-wing. Played on the first line, the fourth line, been a healthy scratch. I think I can contribute more offensively in a top-nine role, but have to do it more consistently. I have to have more to show for what I’ve done."

Oilers coach Todd McLellan is happy with keeping Jesse Puljujarvi on the third line for now.

While Puljujarvi has top-six potential, playing on the third line allows him to often avoid the opposition's top defensemen. "He’s been able to load and shoot," said McLellan. "That doesn’t mean he doesn’t open up scoring chances, streaking down his natural right side but I think Jesse has a knack of releasing the puck from his off-side where he can fool a few goal-tenders. A lot of players are scoring from that area, on the off-side. Let’s give it a chance and see where it goes." Puljujarvi only has 18 points in 49 games this season while averaging 13:37 minutes per contest, but Puljujarvi does have two goals and an assist in his last five contests.

Pontus Aberg missed practice on Friday not because of injury but because he missed practice.

The Oilers disciplined him by taking him off the first line and sitting him out on the weekend. Hopefully the youngster will have learned his lesson as being taken off Connor McDavid's line is severe punishment. Stay tuned.

Oscar Klefbom will be out for the remainder of the season as he will undergo shoulder surgery.

Klefbom has had a wonky shoulder all season and underwent a minor procedure last week but he will need extensive surgery as he should be well enough to return for the start of the 2018-19 season. Klefbom will end the season with five goals and 21 points in 66 games, a far cry from his 12 goal and 38 point season a year ago. Let's blame it on the shoulder and figure he will be back in form next season.

Darnell Nurse was scoreless with a minus-1 rating, one blocked shot and four hits in Tuesday's 5-2 loss at San Jose.

Nurse has posted six goals with 20 points and a plus-12 rating over 63 games, but his real value to fantasy owners comes in the defensive categories. He has managed 125 hits with 119 blocked shots so far this season to help those in pools with advanced scoring systems.

The Oilers need an offensive defenseman and Bear could be that player. A fifth round pick in 2014, Edmonton coach Todd McLellan thinks he needs help on the defensive side of the puck but likes his offense, namely his puck-moving skills. "We like a lot of things we’ve seen and perhaps with a high-end summer of training he can push for a spot next year," said McLellan. "The difference between the American League and here is the Connor McDavids, Sidney Crosbys, Auston Matthews, Eric Staals are very gifted and they’ve all gone through the league numerous times and they know the tricks of the trade. Ethan’s still working on his positioning, his timing." Should he make the team next season, he could be an interesting pickup.

Andrej Sekera left Sunday's game early after blocking a shot and injuring his foot.

The injury bug has affected Sekera this season as this will be the third time he has missed action due to injury. The defenseman started the season on the injured list and did not return until just before Christmas after undergoing ACL surgery in the off-season. He then missed seven games with a facial injury in February and now this. Sekera has only four assists in 30 games this season after an eight goal and 35 point season last year.

Cam Talbot stopped 39 of 41 shots in a 4-2 win over the Florida Panthers.

Talbot came flying out of his crease but was beat to the puck by Frank Vatrano at the blue line who scored his fourth goal of the year into an empty net. Talbot then followed that up by giving up a goal that he'd love to have back to Vincent Trocheck. Despite the two weak goals, Edmonton's starter did make 39 saves, the most he has made in a win this season. His record sits at 26-27-2 with a 2.98 goals-against-average and .908 save percentage.